Worthless Beast
by Digital Skitty
Summary: Link and Midna have a fight, resulting in them separating. But when Link gets attacked by the only monsters he can't fend off without help, what will Midna do?


Author's Note: I am severely disappointed in the lack of Twilight Princess 'fics (primarily Midna ones). I must admit that after the game came out, I expected swarms of them… and now I must be the first to breach the adorable subject of link x midna. Not too many spoilers you couldn't get from previews.

-.-.-

_You're getting heavy_.

No response.

_Curse this language barrier._

Still no reply.

_Midna, you are getting heavy. I can't continue running at this pace with you on me._

Silence.

_Midna, please get off of my back. I_--Link tripped, tumbling head over heels and landing with a small cloud of dust. Midna had warped off of him before hand, and was standing in the air with her arms cross.

"You worthless beast…" The little imp had the gall to say lazily, glaring down at him from under that odd helmet of hers. Link just got back up, and shook his head to try to clear his vision. The canine glared back at her, pinning his ears back against his skull. His lips curled in a growl. "Don't you growl at me." Midna replied airily, leaning back in the air and crossing her legs casually. "Without me, you'd be lost and even more pathetic, remember?"

The growl rose in volume and pitch until it was nothing short of a snarl. Link didn't appreciate being talked down to in that way, especially by his supposed comrade. Honestly, she was so infuriating and arrogant.

"Oh? Is that so, beastie?" Midna floated down so that she was eye level to him, leaned over with a sly smile. It revealed her fangs. She reached out a small hand and tapped the end of the wolf's nose. "You think you can last in this world," she gestured with her other arm, "Without me? I'm your only link to Zelda, beastie, and without either of us, you don't stand a chance. None of us do. So you're stuck with me."

Link only responded with a growl. He felt his hackles rising at the honesty in her taunting words. _No, Midna, you're wrong. I'm sure I could do this on my own. I'm the one doing all of the work, anyway._ That was a lie; he couldn't have defeated those large twilight monsters without her and her dark powers. But he still really didn't like being talked to like that.

"So you're feeling courageous? Feeling like you could be the hero without my help?" Midna cooed, widening her visible eye innocently. She smirked. "You couldn't manage a night without me. You can hardly fend for yourself, let alone dealing with all of those horrible monsters. Face it, beastie. We're stuck together until this nasty thing blows over."

Link's growl faded to nothing, but he narrowed his eyes. She was an insulting little imp. Maybe he would have to prove her wrong. Surely, without his protection for a night, she would learn a lesson. Well…maybe. It was worth it, if she gained a bit of respect for him. It was he, after all, who was toting her around all day!

"Getting some ideas? Going to leave me all alone in this dark forest for the night? Teach me a lesson?" Oh, of course, _now_ she could read minds. Link rolled his azure eyes. "Oh, don't bother." Midna said soothingly, as if she was talking to an upset child. "I forgive you, beastie." She floated up and over his head, landing with the usual thud on his back. The little imp then leaned forward onto the back of his head, absently twirling the tip of his ear around her finger. "It's all water under the bridge, so don't worry." She set her chin in her hand, and set her elbow on the top of his head.

And that was the final straw. Not unlike an unruly horse, Link bucked, leaping in the air and landing only on his front paws, before twisting and jumping again. Midna was thrown off before she could shout. Now, sitting in a heap on the dusty grass, she stared up at the wolf with a mixture of shock and indignity. "How…how dare you! Fine then, you worthless, pathetic beast! See how long you last without me!" She pointed dramatically at him with one of her tiny fingers, and then warped away.

And Link, back free of weight and alone for the first time in a long while, yawned and scratched his ear.

-.-.-

The night, even in the Twilight Realm, was easily distinguishable. Mostly it was when the creatures got tired, though. Midna stormed through the forest, not knowing or caring where she was heading. She snapped twigs and leaves out of her way with ease, but when her hair got stuck in a branch she decided enough was enough. She would sleep here for the night.

Contemplating how she would sleep without a warm, fuzzy Link-pillow, Midna absently started making a few little twigs and branches float around in the air. She was trying to build a sort of a tent or lean-to, and she was thanking the goddesses that she was such a small creatures. Unfortunately, though, a small creature who some stupid monsters might try to eat.

And, of course, that night it rained.

The downpour started very suddenly, with only a single, loud clap of thunder to warn anyone. The next thing she knew, the twilight creature was soaked to the bone. Midna shrieked with frustration and outrage, and quickly headed for the nearest tree for refuge. Her hair was uncomfortably stuck wetly to the back of her neck, and she tried to run her fingers through it to separate it. No luck. But at least Link was having as rotten luck as she was.

Midna sighed and cursed at the sky (it didn't seem fazed). Then she decided to warp to Castle Town. At least there might be a fire somewhere, and there was definitely something more solid than a tree to hid under.

As always, the spirits didn't notice she was around. (Then again, she could scream in their faces and they wouldn't.) But several of the animal spirits' eyes seemed to be following her unnervingly. The imp took shelter under an umbrella, sitting on the deserted table. That cat by the fountain, even though it was sitting in the rain, had been watching her this whole time. Curse those animal instincts. It was actually quite creepy.

Then a sudden thought struck her. They hadn't been that far from Castle Town originally, anyway. Link might come here for protection from the storm as well. The weather matching her mood, Midna swore silently that she would warp him away to the deepest crevasse in the Gerudo Desert if she saw him here. Without an apology, anyway. Her scarlet eyes scanned the urban landscape, but it was nothing but gently flickering spirits.

Until a loud, keening howl split the night and shattered the calming, monotonous sound of the rain. Midna shot upright, accidentally hitting the top of her head on the umbrella and managing to knock over the whole thing. Several nearby spirits shrieked and ran away. Midna paid no heed to them; she only looked around for any sign of Link.

But then again, wolves' howls could travel long distances, and he hadn't sounded that close… "Heh, he probably came across one of those awful flying monsters. Serves him right." She cocked her head to listen better, but she couldn't hear the tell-tale trumpet of those creatures. Maybe it was something else. He could handle anything short of Zant by himself, anyway. Why should she care?

The howl came again, and Midna prided herself on the fact that she didn't jump nearly as badly as last time. Curiosity finally getting the better of her, the imp delicately rearranged her headdress, again wiped her hair off of the back of her neck (and even this time out of her eyes), and floated slowly toward the town's western gate. It was in that direction Link would come, if it even was him. Midna could watch him get the snot beat out of him before coming to his rescue and gracefully accepting his apology.

She took her time crossing the stone bridge, mostly to annoy him if he was trying to get her to come. But then a shriek, a horribly high-pitched, loud, echoing shriek rent the twilight rain. That was the call of those one monsters that revived fallen comrades…. "Oh no!" Midna yelped and instantly sped up. Link couldn't manage to take down all three at once in his wolf form without her help! (He could barely manage it with her help, anyway.)

Another howl, and another shriek. Aside from stopping to wince and put her hands over her pointed ears, Midna was traveling at a breakneck speed toward the sounds. Hopefully Link wouldn't be too badly hurt while waiting…

Then she saw them. Three--no, four!--four of the hulking monsters were circling around something laying on the ground between them. No wonder Link had needed help; they'd never taken on more than three together before… Midna heard herself moan, before closing in on them. Link must be that thing on the ground between them…

The imp warped next to the nearest monster, head butting it. It stumbled backwards, tottered for a moment on one foot, then collapsed. The other three turned in astonishment to her, but didn't make any advances. Obviously they were surprised that she attacked and knocked out that one, or maybe it was just her size. She did tend to give creatures that impression.

Midna decided not to wait for them to regain their mobility. She flipped her hair up, opening a major warp hole, and threw the other three monsters into it without batting an eye. That wouldn't hold them; she had only sent them back to Zant, and he wouldn't be happy about that. Instead, she floated over toward the prone form of the wolf.

"Link? Come on, get up, you worthless lump of fur." She chided, and alighted on the muddy ground beside his forepaw. He didn't respond. "Aw, come on, they couldn't have hit you that hard. Get up."

His eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be moving. He didn't appear to be _breathing_. "…Link? Link!" She lunged forward desperately, patting his snout, tugging on his ears, trying to lift his head off of his paws. "Link, wake up, you pathetic creature! I can't lift you, you know, and Zant will be sending those creatures back any time now! He probably didn't like that stunt I just pulled!"

The canine still didn't move.

Midna almost whimpered, and felt her lower lip tremble slightly. She scanned his body for obvious injuries--didn't appear to be too many. Just a scratch or two, and one larger gash on his side. He'd taken much worse than that before… "Link! Link! Get up, Link! Please, please, get up…!" The rain was starting to let up, just the slightest. Midna didn't notice. She yanked on the chain still connected to his paw, but only managed to move said limb. She pulled on his tail, jumped on his back, and even bit his ear. Finally, she collapsed, hugging the back of his neck. Tangling her fingers in the long fur of his shoulders and nape, she set her chin between his ears. And cried.

The little imp couldn't ever remember crying before, and she was sure that she probably never would again. Midna was still yanking on the wolf's ears, trying in vain to resurrect the fallen hero. She sobbed into his dark fur, and buried her face in it. "Link…Link…Get up…you worthless…" She sniffled, and finally floated over to sit near his shoulder. She leaned against his side, ponytail draped across his back. And waited, with a dark glare on her face.

She could still release enough dark energy to zap the creatures into oblivion when Zant sent them back. She could handle those three, easy. But knowing Zant, he would probably send more as punishment for that little trick. Three she could handle. It wouldn't be easy, not having another body like Link's to channel the energy through, but she would manage. Hopefully her hair could conduct most of it away from her own body, where it would actually hurt her as well.

She knew it wouldn't work.

The warp point above their heads opened once more, this time releasing five of the monsters. That would be six total. Luckily, as long as she didn't leave just one alone, she could get them one at a time. Flinging up her hair once more, Midna created the field in which to trap her foes. Two of them were automatically caught in there, and another one blindly charged into it, trying to get either Link or Midna. "You won't touch him!" She snarled at the beast, and released the pent-up energy inside.

It hurt more than she expected. Eyes widened, she pitched forward, landing on her knees. Her body felt paralyzed from the shock of the attempt. But it seemed that at least those three monsters went down, leaving only two.

Still, Midna tried to get back to her feet. She couldn't manage it. She could barely manage to lift her head and hair enough away from the mud that it wouldn't ground her attack. The twilight creature winced in anticipation of the hurt the field she had just created would bring.

The attack released, and Midna fell back to the ground with a dull thud. She knew she wouldn't be able to get up again. She was spent and her body didn't feel like much more than lead. At least the rain had stopped, though.

A scarlet eye slid over to take in the wolf. She could at least warp them both to Zelda's castle…if she could manage it…

At least the warp point was open above them.

Closing her eyes at last, Midna gathered both their fading energies and transported it up into the twilight, hopefully in the direction of Princess Zelda…

-.-.-

Midna awoke with a start, shrieking. A concerned Hylian princess soon entered her view, but the imp couldn't tell what Zelda was saying. Even after she quieted, it seemed that she had some difficulty hearing. Zelda was saying something, repeating something, but it wouldn't penetrate her mind. Curse those language barriers.

"Wh-what…? Princess Zelda? So then…we made it." Midna stated clearly, hoping that she could still speak. She turned and looked around. It was Zelda's stone room, up in the tower. So they had managed to make it. That was a pleasant change of luck. "Wait! Link! What have you done with him?"

Zelda gently pushed her back down onto the folded blanket she was resting on, and continued speaking. Midna shook her head. She didn't understand. Her body still ached, her mind felt fuzzy, she couldn't hear anything, and she was confused. Where was Link? What had happened, anyway? Why was she even still alive?

"Zelda, what's going on? I can't hear anything…" Midna sighed and let herself close her eyes. Next thing she knew, she was asleep.

-.-.-

Midna awoke again with the unpleasantness of moisture. Something was wet, and was on her face. She pushed it away, making a face, thinking that Zelda was trying to put a damp towel or something on her. For whatever reason. Instead, she heard a bark, and her eyes snapped open. Her favorite wolf was sitting there before her, tail wagging happily. Zelda was standing beside him, smiling kindly at the both of them. "Link!" she exclaimed, and he barked again in reply. And then, she grinned, just because she had her hearing back.

"Midna, are you alright?" Zelda finally asked, kneeling down beside them both.

The imp nodded. "Yeah, I am. What was wrong?"

"I don't know," the princess admitted, "I was hoping you could tell me. Before, you were delirious, speaking in some strange tongue I had never heard before…"

"Huh? No, I wasn't delirious, I was trying to talk to you…I couldn't hear you at all, and I was speaking plain Hylian." Midna retorted, perplexed.

"No, you weren't, Midna." Zelda stated clearly. "I think you may have been speaking in your native language, Twilit… Or perhaps even ancient Hylian. I honestly don't know."

"…Wow." Midna blinked, then turned to look down at her hands. They weren't bandaged at all. In fact, none of her body was bandaged, or appeared to have any medical attention. "Hey! Why aren't I in a giant gauze bubble? Or Link? What kind of nurse are you, allowing your patients to fend for themselves?!"

Zelda only chuckled and smiled warmly. "Midna, I have plenty of potions around. Aside from a few stiff muscles, you and Link may be in better health than ever." She replied through her laughing. "You shouldn't be so negative about those around you."

"…Oh." Midna returned her gaze to her hands. She should probably say she was sorry, but that just wasn't in her personality. Plus, Zelda probably knew, anyway. But since everything was all better… "Link! You pathetic, worthless, useless beast!" She jumped into the air, floating above them both. The wolf in question looked taken aback at the sudden outburst. "How dare you run off, get yourself trapped, and nearly get yourself killed! Stupid wolf! Stupid, worthless, pathetic, useless, foolish, do you know how worried you made me?"

The second those last words left her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. Link was probably used to all of the other insults by now, but her, actually acknowledging that she was worried about him? It was almost laughable. In fact, he let out a bark that couldn't be anything other than a laugh. Zelda, too, looked like she was trying hard to stifle her giggles.

"Hey, I didn't mean to say that! I mean, I just--" Midna spluttered, flustered, for a moment, then took a deep breath and resumed her tirade. "That was a stupid thing to do, and you know it, Link!"

Link just smiled wolfishly, revealing his canine teeth. Midna sneered back at him, showing off her own fangs. Then the wolf padded over to her, and nuzzled her with his snout.

_I missed you. Thank you._

Midna looked like she was going to start ranting again, but instead softened, and even smiled. Well, smirked, anyway. "I missed you, too, you pathetic hero." She hugged his jaw, and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Now enough sentimental junk! You need to get back to hunting those stupid bugs!" Midna jumped over and landed on his back, yet again. Link turned his head back and offered a growl, but by now, it was mostly tradition more than anything. Both looked over toward Zelda, gratitude shining in all three eyes.

"Please don't mention it, either of you. It was my honor to assist." The princess smiled and nodded toward them. Then she offered a wink at Midna, just as Link turned and missed it. The imp only stuck out her tongue in response.

"Oh, and Zelda, if you mention any of this to anyone, I'll zap you right to Zant himself. I know how to do that now." She cackled, and warped them away. Reappearing in the forest they had begun in, Midna leaned down onto the back of Link's neck, hissing in his ear, "You worthless beast."


End file.
